


Sweet Goodbyes

by TheMarauders



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kissing, M/M, it only gets mentioned, nothing descriptive, though only a lil bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 17:09:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20429480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMarauders/pseuds/TheMarauders
Summary: Donghyuck receives bad news but Mark will always be around to help him get back on his feet.





	Sweet Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, I'm back from my hibernation for a hot sec before diving right back into it, 'cause that's who I am as a person :)))  
Anyways.  
So I thought of this while dramatically staring out the car window as I listened to [Sweet Goodbyes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONI8xlyZIyo) past Sunday. No one asked for it and it's honestly self indulgent, but imma post it anyway.  
Would highly recommend listening to the song as you read this!  
The fact that I only thought of this this weekend and have already finished it is a fucking miracle, 'cause it usually takes me agesssss to finish anything. Though this might mean there are some mistakes in it, since i've only quickly skimmed over it before posting it :)))) feel free to point out any mistakes thanks

Mark got woken up by the buzzing of his phone. He slowly opened his eyes, looking around himself in a daze. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, his feet propped up on the coffee table (which meant his parents weren’t home at the moment, because otherwise his mom would have chastised him for that immediately). An episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was playing on the television. It appeared that he had dozed off while watching Netflix, which was a quite annoying thing on it’s own, seeing as he would have to rewatch whatever he had missed. Anyways.

His attention got pulled back towards his buzzing phone, which had now abruptly stopped, the call probably having gone to voicemail. He leaned forwards, reaching out for his phone. As he went to unlock it, he noticed several missed calls from Donghyuck. A frown appeared on his face. Donghyuck was never one to call if he could avoid it, something about him thinking it takes too much effort to actually _ talk _ to people or whatever, which was very annoying when having to plan something time sensitive. 

Mark clicked the _ return call _ button and held the phone to his ear, waiting for the call to go through. It didn’t take long for the other to pick up. Mark was met with silence. “Donghyuck?” he asked but got no answer. “Hyuck?” he followed. Still nothing. “Baby?”

A rustling sound came from the other side of the phone, accompanied with a sniffle. Mark set his feet back on the ground and sat up straighter, alarmed. “Hyuck are you okay?”

“Mark,” was the only thing Donghyuck said at first, his voice weak and quavering aka Donghyuck’s i-have-been-crying-for-hours voice. “I-- I got--” he continued, but got cut off by a sob racking through his body.

The fact that Mark had no idea where Donghyuck was kept him from moving, otherwise he would have immediately gotten up, picked up his keys and ran out the door to get to his boyfriend as soon as possible. “Deep breaths, Hyuckie. Try and calm down a little, okay?” he told the other softly. His hand gripped his phone tightly, getting more and more worried the longer it took for the other to tell him what was going on. However, he knew it would be counterproductive to get Donghyuck to talk while he was still clearly upset.

Mark listened to the other’s breathing in and out, his breaths evening out slowly. When he felt like Donghyuck had calmed down considerably, he tried again. “What’s going on?” he asked him gently.

Donghyuck gave another shaky breath. “I got the-- the letter.” he explained, though it left Mark confused still, not sure what he was talking about. “Letter?” Mark echoed, but it soon clicked. It was around the time that they would receive their admission letters back from the colleges they applied to. Mark felt his stomach drop. He hoped that Donghyuck was crying because he had gotten good news, but he wasn’t much of a happy crier. “Which did you get back?” he asked.

“NAM.” came the short response of Donghyuck, the name of the school alone pulling a sob out of him.

“Neo Academy of Music?”

Donghyuck hummed in answer.

Mark worried his lower lip, afraid to ask more questions, not wanting Donghyuck to get upset even more. He knew he had to ask the obvious question eventually. “What’d it say?”

“It says,” Donghyuck started, taking a deep breath before continuing, though he appeared to have decided against doing so. A sound of paper being crumpled up sounded through the phone. “I can’t--” Donghyuck whimpered softly. “I can’t read it again. They didn’t-- I didn’t get in, Mark.” he forced out before breaking down again, his sobs clear to Mark’s ears through the phone. “What would my mom think of me?”

“Oh, baby..” Mark said softly, his heart breaking even more at the mention of the other’s mom. The fact that Donghyuck had called him up crying over it had heavily implied that he hadn’t made it, but it was still hard to believe. How could he not have? Surely they had accidentally mixed him up with someone else. Well, either way, this was not the time to worry about it. “Hyuck, where are you right now?”

“My house, on my bed, wallowing in self pity.” Donghyuck’s voice was muffled. Mark guessed he had his face pressed in his pillow. “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight,” he said softly. “I keep thinking about it and then I start crying again and I--” another sob could be heard, cutting him off.

Mark hushed him softly. “Just.. come on home and I’ll get you through the night, we’ll worry about the rest tomorrow.” he told him.

“Home..” Donghyuck repeated, his voice now much clearer. Mark could imagine him lying on his bed, now facing the ceiling, tears still coming from his eyes but a gentle smile on his face. Donghyuck had always liked it when Mark referred to his own home as Donghyuck’s as well. You see, Donghyuck’s home situation wasn’t the greatest. His relationship with his father had never been great. His mother, though, he adored her. Sadly, she had passed away only a year prior, which had only put a bigger strain on his relationship with his dad. His mom, who had worked in the music industry, had also gone to school at NAM, hence it was Donghyuck’s dream to also study there, even more so now that his mom had passed away, but.. it appeared that that was not going to happen.

“Do you need me to pick you up?”

“No.. no, I’ll walk. Fresh air might do me some good.” Donghyuck responded, seemingly already getting up from his bed.

“Alright, don’t take too long, okay?”

“Okay,” it was quiet for a second but then, “Love you, Mark.”

“I love you too, Donghyuck.” Mark replied and then the line got cut off. As he lowered the phone from his ear the time shone brightly on the screen. It was a little bit past twelve in the morning which meant Donghyuck probably had been crying about it for quite some time now. It was a good thing that he had nowhere to be in the morning, because he was expecting it would be a while before they would go to sleep. Though, honestly, he would do anything for Donghyuck without question.

  
  


It had been about half an hour since they had hung up the phone. Normally it would take about fifteen to twenty minutes to get to each other’s places by foot, but Donghyuck had texted him that he would take a little detour, keeping him up to date in the meantime of where he was so Mark needn’t worry about him having been kidnapped or something of the sorts. It had been a few minutes since Donghyuck had texted him that he was almost there when the bell rang. 

Mark paused the episode he had been absentmindedly watching (he might as well watch the whole season again because nothing of what had happened had stuck in his brain) and got up from the couch, making his way towards the front door. He opened the door and was met with his boyfriend. While Donghyuck usually had an aura of confidence, and sometimes even cockiness, about him, all of that had vanished in that moment. Donghyuck had his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, which Mark noticed was actually his, shoulders hunched forward and head held low. He seemed small, fragile even. 

Remember when Mark’s heart broke earlier? It broke even more when Donghyuck lifted his head and he got a look at his face. His eyes were red rimmed, dried tear streaks still visible on his cheeks, his nose red. “Mark,” he uttered softly, almost relieved to see him, when his bottom lip started to wobble.

“C’mere.” Mark said as he opened his arms for Donghyuck to step into. As he did so, he held onto the younger tightly. He slowly stepped backwards, leading the other into his home, kicking the front door shut with his foot when he was sure he wouldn’t hit Donghyuck with it. He heard him breathing in and out in a controlled rhythm, probably trying his best not to burst out in tears yet again. Mark pressed a kiss on the top of his head, still holding him close. “Let’s go up to my room?” he suggested, at which the younger nodded.

Mark slowly let go of him, getting hold of one of Donghyuck’s hands and intertwining their fingers before gently tugging him along towards the stairs. They made their way up the stairs towards Mark’s bedroom. He closed the door after Donghyuck out of habit, it didn’t really matter with his parents not being home and all.

Donghyuck sat down on his bed and started to take off his shoes, pausing midway to take something out of the pocket of his hoodie. It was a crumpled piece of paper which he carelessly threw on top of Mark’s bed. “In case you want to read it.” he muttered and started working on untying his shoes again.

Mark picked up the piece of paper, which he now identified as the letter from the school, and sat down on the bed. He let his eyes skim over the words.

_ Dear Donghyuck, _

_ This is an acknowledgement of your application and audition to the vocal program at our college, Neo Academy of Music. We have reviewed your application and all the supporting documents and are regretful to inform you that-- _

Mark stopped reading. It was all he needed to know. The rest of the letter would be filled with generic mumbo jumbo to let Donghyuck know he hadn’t made the cut. Mark put the letter on his bedside table and looked up at Donghyuck, who now stood in his underwear in front of Mark’s closet picking out a shirt to wear to bed. He seemed to have made up his mind as he pulled one of his shirts out, putting it on, the shirt slightly too big on him. “I’m so sorry, Hyuck.” he said softly, not sure how to go about it. He didn’t want to upset Donghyuck, making him cry again, but he felt like they needed to talk about it, let Donghyuck vent about it so he didn’t bottle up his feelings.

“Yeah, well,” Donghyuck said as he turned around, making his way back towards the bed and plopping back down on it. He looked up at Mark. Mark could see he was trying to fight crying again, but it seemed not to work. Tears welled up in his eyes, his bottom lip wobbling once more. “I feel like fuck-- fucking shit.” Donghyuck hiccoughed halfway through his sentence.

“I know, baby.” Mark said softly as he wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulder, pulling him closer. He refrained himself from telling Donghyuck that it would be okay, which it would be in due time of course, seeing as he hated it when people gave him that kind of speech when he was in distress.

Donghyuck rested his head on his shoulder, sniffling softly. “I wanted to go to that school so badly,” he said softly, voice quivering. “Maybe I should just give up.” he muttered quietly, probably not for Mark’s ears to hear but he did.

“Hey, don’t say that,” Mark said, pressing a kiss on the top of his head. “If anyone deserved that spot, it’s you.” he told him almost sternly. “It’s not your fault, Hyuck. You had a sore throat on the day of the audition. They don’t know what they’re missing out on.” he told him gently, putting his other hand on Donghyuck’s thigh and rubbing it in comfort. 

Donghyuck shook his head. “They heard me and thought I was shit, that’s it. I’m shit and don’t deserve to get accepted by any of the schools. What am I gonna do now? I don’t-- What would my mom think of me? She would be so disappointed. Her son, not even able to get in the school she went to and--”

“Donghyuck,” Mark interrupted his rant, shock clearly evident on his face at the other’s words. He pushed the younger away from him a little bit so he could look at him. The other rubbed furiously at his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears but alas, they just kept coming. “Your mom would be so proud of you no matter where you end up going or what you end up doing. Hell, she didn’t even want you to go to that school.”

“But I--”

“No. No buts,” Mark told him. He gently cupped Donghyuck’s face with both hands and wiped away the tears with his thumbs. “Honestly, your mom would be so proud because of what you’re doing and what you’ve achieved. The fact that you’re even applying to go to college while you’re still dealing with what happened to her is amazing on it’s own and I’m sure she’d think so as well,” he said, looking him in the eyes. “_ You _ are amazing, Donghyuck, and that school is just too blind to see it. Any school would be lucky to have you and once you’re a renowned vocalist NAM will regret not having taught you.”

Donghyuck nodded solemnly at the words. He took a deep breath. “I just miss her so much, Mark,” he admitted softly, wiping at his eyes once again. “And I just thought this would keep me close to her, somehow, having the same experiences as her.” he muttered, voice barely louder than a whisper.

“Oh, I know, baby,” Mark replied, a soft smile on his face. “And you will, just at a different place. A place you’re mom would have prefered, probably, seeing as she basically despised everything NAM stood for.” Mark added with a soft chuckle, hoping the other wasn’t in a too foul mood anymore and wouldn’t mind the little joke. 

A small smile appeared on Donghyuck’s face. “Yeah.. she really didn’t like that school much, did she?” He commented, scratching the back of his head.

Mark chuckled, shaking his head. “Not a whole lot, no.” He gently stroked Donghyuck’s cheek with his hand, watching his face. Donghyuck had his eyes closed, gently pushing his face against his hand. He seemed to have calmed down a bit. For now, anyway. “Let’s go to bed, hm? Talk about it more tomorrow, if you’d like to.” he proposed. The other must be very tired after a whole evening of crying. Donghyuck nodded. 

The two of them climbed underneath the covers, getting comfortable. Mark lay on his back with one arm around the other, Donghyuck pressed against his side, his head resting on Mark’s shoulder and his hand on his chest, their legs entwined. It was quiet for a while until Donghyuck opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry you had to waste your time on this.” he muttered softly, absentmindedly drawing shapes on Mark’s chest with his fingertips.

Mark tightened his hold on Donghyuck. “Time spent with you is never wasted, Hyuckie.” he told him earnestly. 

Donghyuck lifted his head a little, looking up at him, tears once again visible in his eyes but not spilling this time. “You’ve made dealing with it all so much easier, Mark. Thank you so much,” Donghyuck expressed. “For everything.”

Mark smiled at him. “Always.” he said before leaning in, pressing his lips to Donghyuck’s. He raked his fingers through the other’s hair, resting his hand at the base of his head afterwards. They kissed for a little while, until he could actually feel Donghyuck stifle a yawn as they were doing so.

Mark broke the kiss with a chuckle and an endeared roll of his eyes. “Let’s go to sleep now and continue this tomorrow, okay?”

Donghyuck hummed, blinking at him tiredly. “Like kissing you.” he said drowsily, pecking him once more on the lips before laying his head back down on Mark’s chest. 

A soft chuckle left Mark’s lips. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the ceiling. “Me too.” he responded. He listened to Donghyuck’s breathing, which evened out little by little. When he assumed the other must have fallen asleep, he parted his lips to speak softly into the otherwise empty room. “I love you, Donghyuck, more than anything. I hope you know that.”

Donghyuck stirred slightly before he responded, his hand gripping Mark’s shirt tightly. “I do,” He said, and then, “Me too.”  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed it!  
hmu on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/whaechann) or [tumblr](http://whaechan.tumblr.com/)!


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